Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters – The Canadian economy most likely underperformed expectations in the third quarter amid ongoing supply chain woes and a brutal drought, official data suggested on Friday, prompting analysts to forecast the Bank of Canada could move slower on rate hikes. The economy expanded by 0.4 percent in August, missing estimates, and looked […] Read more
Canada economy seen weaker than expected as supply chain woes weigh
Ag seen gaining on slightly weaker loonie in 2019
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Farm Credit Canada (FCC) predicts the Canadian dollar will spend the year around the 75-U.S. cent mark — slightly softer than last year’s average of 76. “We’re going to see volatility throughout the year obviously but when we look at that season, or the full year average, we’re looking for it to […] Read more
Trade certainty doesn’t translate to higher loonie
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Even with more certainty around trade with the U.S., Canadians shouldn’t expect to see the dollar flying in value. “It’s hard for me to see the Canadian dollar gain value against the U.S. dollar in the short term, unless the Bank of Canada totally revises its stance towards interest rates,” said J.P. […] Read more
Consider hedging against rate hikes, farmers advised
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The Bank of Canada has raised its benchmark interest rate to 1.5 per cent, marking the fourth time it has raised rates since last summer. The increase from 1.25 per cent is the base rate retail banks pay for short-term loans, but consumer rates for mortgages, lines of credit and other loans […] Read more
Low loonie not good for farmers right now
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Usually when the Canadian dollar starts to drop lower than its U.S. counterpart it’s good for producers — but this time not so much. Along with the drop, commodity prices have also dropped. “Unfortunately I’m not so sure that what we’ve seen in terms of a decline in the Canadian dollar versus […] Read more
Farmland values rise, but interest rates curb market
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — Prices of Canadian farmland were seen rising in 2017, with most sales happening in the first half of 2017 before interest rate increases and the drought in Western Canada hit. That’s according to the annual Farmland Values Report released Monday by Farm Credit Canada (FCC), based on 90 per cent of farmland […] Read more
A demanding year ahead for soybean markets
With bumper crops expected around the world, soybean growers will need to juggle currency rates, weather anomalies and key demand drivers to find their best soybean price in 2018
Reading Time: 5 minutes Soybeans are a great crop to grow. This is reflected in the 3.1 million acres of soybeans grown this past year across Ontario. Driving from Windsor to Montreal and beyond, soybeans are a common sight. It’s on the other side of the world, though, that China, the world’s biggest consumer of soybeans, imported a whopping […] Read more
Farm debt in perspective
Yes, $90 billion in farm debt is a lot, but most farmers should be able to weather most storms if they up their focus on their risk exposure
Reading Time: 9 minutes When Gwen Paddock began her finance career some three decades ago, farmers were looking for a chequing account, an operating loan and maybe some short-term financing for equipment and land. Not so today. “Farms are getting bigger with more moving parts,” says RBC’s national director of agriculture. “Now, farmers and farm operators are looking for […] Read more
Currency analysts watch for interest rate decision
Reading Time: 1 minute CNS Canada — The likelihood of the Bank of Canada cutting interest rates on Wednesday is already priced into the loonie, according to one analyst — but if the bank instead decides to hold rates steady, the beleaguered currency could move higher. The Canadian dollar was trading around US69 cents (US$1=C$1.45) near midday Tuesday, which […] Read more
The China (economic) factor and Canadian agriculture
Does China’s economic slowdown have to be bad news for Canada’s farmers? We ask Errol Anderson, does he see hope in the year ahead?
Reading Time: 6 minutes For the first instalment in our five-part series this fall and winter, we sat down with Calgary-based grain market adviser and regular Country Guide contributor Errol Anderson for his insights into what to look for in markets this year. The billion-dollar question, Anderson says, is what will happen in China. Other issues are important too, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
